Iretiola Doyle has lived a variety of lives and achieved more than most, from being an accomplished writer and award-winning actor to producing and presenting her own fashion and lifestyle show, Oge With Iretiola, for many years.
While she has had an enviable career so far and made her mark as one of Nollywood's most talented and versatile actresses on stage and on screen in both movies and TV shows, Doyle is not resting on her laurels. For the next act, the actress makes her debut as an executive producer in The Hidden, an Africa Magic Original Series, where she is also the creator, head writer, and lead.
Speaking exclusively with Pulse, she touches on her early days before taking us through her latest project and the next phase of her career. Enjoy!
The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Early Days
I did quite a bit of writing in my early days. First, I wrote social commentary for many years. I started with a column in City People, then moved over to This Day Glitterati, and finally ended up in Saturday Vanguard. In terms of scripts and television, I cut my teeth on Patrick Doyle's Jaded Option. I used to rewrite scenes and rework some episodes; that's where i began. I did some writing for Amaka Igwe back in the day. I contributed to several screenplays. I wrote, produced, and, at some point, started directing my television show Oge for many years. So I have done quite a bit of writing, but this is the first time I took a vision and ran with it and turned it into something outside of me. It was the first time I birthed a whole idea, was in charge of a whole idea, and then had to hand it over to people to make it bigger and better.
Creating The Hidden
The Hidden was an original synopsis that I wrote many years ago and just tucked away in my drafts. So, when I built up the courage to make a pitch, I looked through my drafts and found a story that could be tweaked and adapted and still resonate today. The two synopses have the same premise: an individual who has lived life and uses their experiences and the empathy that they have acquired through the years to help other people who are having difficult times. The difference is that the first time I wrote it, the story was centred around teenagers and young adults. This time it is centred around grown women, but the premise is the same: a woman who has experienced life, suffered loss, and is seeking redemption. Helping other people sort out their problems is how she looks for redemption.
Bringing an Original to life
The Hidden is a composite of several people's stories. If you look closely, I'm sure you will recognise one or two people. Some of those stories are mine—things and situations that I have personally experienced, things I have witnessed other people experience, and maybe situations I was involved in peripherally. For the experiences that were mine, I know the things that irked me at the moment and the nuances that were missing. So, I understand how shows typically make women sound and how we come across them. So we paid a lot of attention to that. For my producer, Teniola Olatoni, who also ended up being like a de facto second editor because she would have to read over the script, there were just some things that would not be allowed on her table. So yes, while one tries to create multidimensional and well-rounded characters, and tell a story using one's unique voice, one also does not want to burden people with their perspective. You have to be humble in what you think and leave it open so that the viewer is not only entertained but also allowed to form their own opinions and decisions. Otherwise, you're just in class lecturing. You don't want to force your points down people's throats. Let people form their own perspectives. Leave it open to the audience’s interpretation.
Landing the title
It was a journey. The original working title was Grandma's House. More often than not, when you think about your Grandma's house, it Invokes feelings of comfort and security. When you get into trouble with your parents, that's where you run. Most grandmas are usually loving. So that was the thinking behind it. Again, a central figure that looked out for other people. It turned out that other shows had taken the name or something similar, so we didn't want that. Then we finally settled on The Residence, and we called it The Residence for a long time. But we found out that a big American producer was working on a project with the same title. So we needed to go back to the drawing board. At this point, I decided to carry on with the story because I co-wrote it with a bunch of other talented writers. Marketing and other departments were focused on the title while I was busy focusing on delivering the scripts. One day, I was informed that there was a consensus, and the consensus was The Hidden.
Taking control behind the camera
Can I direct? I probably can. I know what I want to see, but it's not something I want to take on at this time. My interest was in understanding the business and how things work behind the cameras, not just in one department, because I already had working knowledge throughout this career. I wanted to understand the mechanics of putting on a show. This opportunity was like being thrown into a master class. I wanted to understand the business behind it. I have arrived at a place in my career where, yes, while I love doing what I do, I would like more autonomy. I would like the opportunity to continue to do what I enjoy, but more on my terms. I have said it several times over the last several days: being an actor is phenomenal. It opens all kinds of doors for you, takes you into all kinds of rooms, and gives you all kinds of opportunities. But when it comes to production, the real power is behind the camera. When you get control over the process, you gradually become your own boss.
What makes 'The Hidden' special?
Every time, you hear people complaining that it's always the same faces over and over again. The Hidden boasts a large cast of relatively new and brilliant actors. So you're going to fall in love with them. They all put their A-game on. While the stories are not necessarily new, they are very new stories; they're just different perspectives and different treatments. I would also like to say that the storytelling technique is pretty intriguing. Our whole idea was to invite you in as you watched, hopefully getting you heavily invested in our characters and stories. The goal is for you to leave feeling hopeful that no matter how bad it gets, there's always a second chance, and you will always find a safe space. That's the essential message.
What does the future look like for Ireti Doyle?
Like I said, this was a major learning curve. There are so many things I have learned, and I won't say it’s been an easy ride. There is always room for improvement. The challenges that happened this time will not happen again. So, I’m taking my time. My first baby was a simple story. I would like to be a bit more ambitious with the next one, and all of that takes time, thought, and planning.
The Hidden finale airs tonight at 8:30 p.m. WAT on AMShowcase Channel 151 on DSTV Nigeria.